Chapter 498 Migration of a Capital
"I'll follow the king!"
A single voice shouted above the volume of the rest of the crowd, proving that whoever shouted was at a decently high level. Then, a hulking Snow Stallion appeared in the town square with a man sitting atop it.
"I'll follow the king, along with the rest of the Snow Guild!" that man shouted again, gathering even more attention.
Many shouts throughout the square agreed with their guild leader. At the same time, many of the citizens were shocked to hear that.
The man continued, "We're one of the largest guilds only because of your support, King Wilheim. While the Snow Guild was still insignificant, we only gained the support of the people after you asked for us to connect the many villages of the tundra via stallion routes. You also funded our expansion to offer the citizens a means to travel the tundra more safely. I'm in your debt for helping the guild grow and for assisting in saving my home village, as are the countless citizens of the tundra villages for your anonymous donation to our Snow Guild."
"We'll also follow you, King Wilheim!" Another proud Snow Stallion emerged just outside of the city square. The woman stood atop the stallion mentioned, "You did the same for our Tundra guild."
"Don't forget us! How could we dare to abandon you after all you've done!"
A massive Frost wolf appeared in the square, rivaling the Snow Stallions in size. It startled those nearby but they quickly recognized that particular wold with the scar over its eye and the saddle on its back. The bare-chested man sitting on the wolf shouted with laughter, "Don't count the Frost Guild out! Wherever you go, we go!"
The hearts of the people softened yet again. With all three of Aazoon's largest independent guilds standing in support of the king and his decision, they had no choice but to seriously consider the king's decision as well.
Though most already were, there would always be some people stuck in their ways. But they mostly understood that without those three guilds, travel across the tundra would become a huge danger for them. Also, the disappearance of the three major guilds would destroy Aazoon's economy and way of life, at least for anyone that stayed behind.
Some people were also touched by the sudden announcement that those guild leaders made. No one knew that the king had funded the growth of those independent guilds, which had no official affiliation to the royal family. And to know that those key guilds which connected common citizens to various cities, towns, or villages for a low fee had been paid for by the king. It let savvy businessmen and citizens understand why the travel costs were always so low, compared to other kingdoms and despite the harsh travel conditions.
Wilheim was astounded. He had nothing to say. The king watched as more and more people spoke up for the king and his plan to abandon the country.
Five percent of the population was still missing, which saddened Wilheim but he understood that anyone unwilling to even take the free travel wouldn't be willing to follow him anyway. Yet… Wilheim had never expected such a turnout. More people had come than he ever anticipated. More and more organizations were standing out in support of the decision. And now the common people were starting to chant along with the members of the many guilds, something the guild leaders had started.
"For the king! For the king! For the king!"
Those three words surpassed the echo of Wilheim's voice and even Lunara's. More than anyone else, it was King Wilheim's heart that was softened.
"Those of you willing to follow King Wilheim to create a new nation, now's your chance!" Lunara shouted with excitement, still standing in the air overhead. "Those willing to follow, raise your hand now! Those that wish to remain, keep your hands down. Otherwise, you'll end up in Trodar without a way back."
The ocean of people ceased chanting, but everyone then rose their hands to the sky. Some struggled and took a moment to decide. However, after seeing so many people willing to abandon everything, they too raised an arm. Also, knowing that dragons and gods were also invading Aazoon was quite convincing to those less affected by the current mob mentality.
Then, two figures appeared on the platform in a blink of spatial energy. Not many people noticed them, at least not at first. When the entire city and the outlying area was flooded by an ethereal purple energy, the crowd then took notice of the source, a man that was covered in the thickest purple energy around.
No explanation was given to the crowd. Standing beside Moranti was Eedaj, who was sharing his God's Perspective with the God of Space.
"Wow… He got so many people to show up? We'll have to conquer an entire nation to fit them properly…" Moranti chuckled as he and Eedaj made sure to find every last one of the nearby citizens.
Once everyone was accounted for, Moranti smiled and clapped his hands.
The sea of spatial energy blinked with a flash. It didn't even last a second. And to everyone inside that energy, nothing had appeared to change once the flash had passed. They still stood within Frostburn City and everyone was exactly where they once stood. However, when they looked up, they couldn't find Lunara anymore, nor could they find the cloudy, cold sky of Aazoon.
"Welcome to Gilga!" Moranti's voice billowed with laughter.
After his announcement, some people noticed the ice on the ground starting to melt. Those on the outskirts looked around to spot another city, not even a kilometer away. On the opposite side of the outskirts, people were on the edge of the forest, only it was very unnatural. The line of trees was strange as if it now bent around Frostburn City.
"Moranti… you didn't need to bring the city!" Eedaj shouted in laughter.
"What's wrong with that? Now we don't need to pay more for so many temporary homes. Remember, we have to keep the guild in mind first, and its budget," replied Moranti, slapping the utterly baffled king on the back. "Once we clear out a place for your kingdom, then I'll teleport your city wherever you want. Lots of people keep their homes and belongings while you keep the palace!"
Wilheim said nothing, nor could he if he wanted. He understood that Moranti had control over space and could transport groups of people via teleportation or spatial rift… but teleporting a capital city was too much for his mind to fathom.
All the while, Moranti kissed his scythe again with a loving smile. Though it still cost the God of Space plenty of mana to teleport the entire city, it was his precious scythe that allowed him to do it for less and keep some mana leftover in case of emergencies.